NBC greenlights 'Outbreak' drama series

NBC greenlights 'Outbreak' drama series

Photo: "Outbreak"

NBC has ordered a pilot for a new drama series based on the hit 1995 thriller "Outbreak." The series, which is being produced by former "ER" executive producers John Wells and Jack Orman, will "follow an ensemble of characters as they race to contain a lethal virus before it becomes a global pandemic.”

The greenlight for the series, which Deadline reports as "one of the biggest commitments to a drama project so far this development cycle," is not surprising considering the sheer amount of interest out there in apocalyptic scenarios. "The Walking Dead," "Doomsday Preppers" and "Revolution" are only some of the successful shows to tap into our love all things doom and gloom.

The other big release that may have hastened "Outbreak's" development? The 2011 thriller "Contagion." Director Steven Soderbergh's film, which realistically portrays the deadly consequences of a global pandemic, caused extreme paranoia in moviegoers.

"I think what the movie is going to do is show the struggle, how quickly things can unfold and why it's important to have a strong public health infrastructure," Dr. Barbara Reynolds, a senior adviser for crisis communications at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told The Washington Times when "Contagion" hit theaters in 2011. "This is a fictional account ... but the fact is, we could say 'yes,' in real life this kind of thing could happen."